Montana Department of Transportation

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Airport Services

Airport Inspections

One of the primary goals of the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division is to ensure airport safety. In keeping with that goal, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the division responsibility to inspect Montana's airports.

Our contract with the FAA is to inspect approximately 36 airports, or one third of Montana public airports, each year. To minimize travel costs to the state, we try to inspect 10 to 20 airports at a time during the period between July and September. These months provide peak daylight hours so we can get an early start and work late into the evening.

Our inspectors are trained to conduct their inspections in accordance with federal regulations. We begin each inspection in the air to get a pilot's point of view. When we land we perform a detailed ground inspection that includes runway lights, obstructions, approach angles, and runway condition.

Airport inspections are one of the most important things we do to promote safety in aviation. For more information about our inspections, please visit: